Rahm Emanuel under consideration as Biden Transportation secretary: report

Former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D) is under consideration to lead the Department of Transportation in President-elect Joe Biden’s administration, sources told The Associated Press. 

Emanuel, who also served as President Obama’s first chief of staff, is among multiple candidates in the running for the role, according to the news service, and Biden’s selection of a nominee is not believed to be imminent. 

Biden’s transition team did not respond to request for comment from the AP. The Hill has also reached out for comment. 

While he was mayor, Chicago saw $11 billion in airfield, terminal and infrastructure investments at its airports, the AP noted. He also secured more than $4.6 billion in federal funding for Chicago transit, which includes funds to modernize the city’s train system. 

However, Emanuel’s pick would likely cause issues inside the Democratic Party, particularly with progressives. 

In an interview with The New York Times in early November, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) said that Emanuel would be a “pretty divisive pick” and said it would likely signal a “hostile approach on the grass-roots and the progressive wing of the party.” 

On Twitter last week, Ocasio-Cortez specifically criticized the way Emanuel handled the police shooting of Laquan McDonald, a Black teen who was killed in 2014. 

“Rahm Emanuel helped cover up the murder of Laquan McDonald. Covering up a murder is disqualifying for public leadership,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted. “This is not about the ‘visibility’ of a post. It is shameful and concerning that he is even being considered.” 

What is so hard to understand about this?

Rahm Emanuel helped cover up the murder of Laquan McDonald. Covering up a murder is disqualifying for public leadership.

This is not about the “visibility” of a post. It is shameful and concerning that he is even being considered. https://t.co/P28C0E4fYP

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 23, 2020

Emanuel also represented Illinois’s 5th Congressional District from 2003 to 2009 and served as chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.